Das Mahavidyas

This painting represents the Das Mahavidya or the ten forms so Goddess Durga. The idols are painted on cloth using Ink and coloured pigments by Mithila artist Krishnanand Jha. Click here to see how artist Poonam Devi paints the same theme

Dasa Mahavidya is associated with the Shakti cult in Hinduism and through it, ‘Tantrism’. The ten goddesses depicted here are Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi in the top row, Chinnamasta, Bagalmukhi, Dhumati, Matangi, and Kamala in the bottom row.

Krishnanand Jha (1938-2018) was one of the first male artists to pursue Mithila art as a profession. Born to a tantric priest, Krishnanand himself followed tantric rituals. His paintings began getting attention in the 1980s, as they were unlike any other Mithila works. Jha mastered the Kachni style creating beautiful linework and patterns.